Food Pantry Operators Looking For Fresh Angle

June 18, 1999|By Maria T. Galo, Tribune Staff Writer.

DES PLAINES — In the last 10 months, Des Plaines resident Aaron Faircloth has gotten some unusual things to eat from the Self-Help Closet and Pantry of Des Plaines: Jars of roasted eels and sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil.

"You put them on crackers," explained the 60-year-old Faircloth as he waited at the pantry this week for his paper bag of non-perishable food. "I felt like I was eating like a king."

But in the next few weeks, pantry organizers hope to offer something more nutritious than an occasional jar of shriveled tomatoes--like fat, juicy, sun-reddened tomatoes from area gardens.

Gardeners are being asked to donate some of their bounty at a time when food pantries see donations drop--the peak season for food drives is in the winter--and suburban pantries are reporting a surge of between 25 and 33 percent in the number of families seeking assistance.

The Self-Help Pantry has seen an increase of about 25 percent over last year, said Lisa Anderson, director for the non-profit group, which serves about 175 families.

The increase puzzles pantry organizers, especially since more people are working due to the robust economy.

"We're trying to figure that out," said Janet Wozniak, who heads the Palatine Township food pantry, which served 1,000 families last year and is serving 1,200 families this year.

Some suburban pantry organizers say the increase is due to a cut in food stamps. But the food-stamp program has not been cut, said Reginald Marsh, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Human Services. In fact, the department is trying to better publicize the program with videos and brochures.

"I think it's a misconception. With the 5-year limit of the welfare reform law, people are leaving the rolls more quickly," Marsh said. Now, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program will fund people for five years, after which they're expected to have jobs.

This is the second year the Self-Help Pantry has collected fresh produce. And although it is too early in the season for tomatoes, organizers are hoping to get the word out about donations in time for early vegetables such as lettuce and green beans.

"The nutritional value of these items is essential," said Christine Landen, secretary of the pantry's board of directors. "Getting this fresh produce is just indescribable."

The word is starting to spread. Last year, employees at the Des Plaines offices of Universal Oil Products donated baskets of zucchinis, tomatoes, squash and cantaloupes they grew on employee plots at the firm's campus, 25 E. Algonquin Rd. They plan to give again, as soon as the first harvest comes in, said garden coordinator Beth Forrester.

About 75 employees tend private garden plots donated by the company, which provides a water line to the vegetable gardens north of the offices. Employees spend their lunch hours pulling weeds, watering little tomato plants and sharing mulching and pest-fighting tips.

Greg Hales, director of communications, has been gardening at the company for 10 years and last year donated his extra tomatoes and zucchinis.

"You want to be generous with the gifts you have," Hales said. "And it's about your conscience saying, `I did all this work, do I really want to throw things away?' "

In Lake County, St. Francis Catholic Church in Lake Zurich last summer donated more than 300 five-gallon buckets of vegetables and fruits grown in a 1 1/2-acre garden tended by parishioners, said George Koll, pastoral associate. The produce went to food pantries in Lake County and Palatine Township, Koll said.

This year, the church garden has grown to 3 acres and the first harvest is expected this weekend. "The lettuces are ready to go," Koll said. "Someone's going to have a nice salad next week."

In Des Plaines, fresh vegetables will be a welcome addition to the dinner table for families like Kelly Fite's.

Fite, 17, works full time at Kohl's to support her mom, who is disabled, and six children ranging from age 2 to 14. She visited the Self-Help Pantry for the second time, joining her friend, Bianca Billings, 15, who was picking up supplies for herself and her 10-month-old.

"I don't know what happened," said Fite, when asked about how she got in this situation. "My mom and dad got divorced, my mom got hurt at her job and can't work and now we're living off my paycheck."

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The pantry is open Tuesdays from 1 to 3 p.m. in the basement of the Salvation Army offices at 609 W. Dempster St., 847-593-2940.